


The World on Her Shoulders

by Musetotheworld



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Kara Danvers Arrived On Earth On Time, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-31
Updated: 2018-01-30
Packaged: 2019-02-25 22:46:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13222815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Musetotheworld/pseuds/Musetotheworld
Summary: When Kara lands on time, she finds herself in charge of keeping Kal-El safe. But it's a large task for a single teenage girl, no matter how determined she is not to fail. When she gets caught in the pool house of one Cat Grant, she finds someone willing to help shoulder the burden.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [GaneWhoo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GaneWhoo/gifts).



When they finally reach Earth, Kara breathes a sigh of relief that nothing had gone wrong along the way. She can see her cousin's pod off to the right, see his small form wiggling impatiently now that their stasis is wearing off. Against all odds, they've actually made it.

Pressing the hatch release and stepping out into the unfamiliar surroundings, Kara looks around carefully. Their pods had been programmed to find someplace far enough away from human settlements to hopefully avoid anyone noticing their landing. She needs to make certain their surroundings are safe and find a place for them to stay for a while. Kal-El needs protected, and that means being very cautious.

Her mother had told her while they were rushing towards the launch bay that Earth was still primitive, that they had little knowledge of the galaxy outside of their solar system. That their science was hundreds and thousands of years behind Krypton's, and their beliefs were correspondingly strange. There hadn't been time for any detailed warnings, but Kara is old enough to know what that means.

If Earth knows nothing about interplanetary travel and intergalactic culture, she and Kal-El will be vulnerable if anyone knows the truth. A science so far behind Krypton's might have few of the moral and ethical guidelines that kept the Science Guild in check. And if that's so, then Kara can't trust anyone with the truth.

"Shh, I'm here Kal-El," she whispers as she presses the release for his pod after determining there's nothing obviously near enough to be a threat. "I've got you. You'll never be alone, I promise."

Her voice seems to soothe him, as does the warmth of her arms as Kara holds him close. He's obviously overwhelmed by all the new scents and sights around them, but he knows and trusts Kara in a way only a small child can. Now Kara just has to live up to that unqualified belief.

No big deal, right?

***

It takes a while to hide their pods after pulling the emergency survival packs from the storage containers, but Kara knows the effort is worth it. They can't risk the technology falling into the wrong hands, even if these ships weren't their only hope of getting offworld in case of an emergency. And the knowledge contained in the memory cores is their only link back to Krypton. Kara can't lose that.

"Time to go," she says when she finishes, needing to hear her own voice after so long in the silence of space.

Even with the stasis fields it hadn't been easy. The few times she'd woke not even the light of stars flashing past had been enough to break through the sense of darkness surrounding her. Only the small and steady glint of Kal-El's pod ahead of her had kept her anchored.

He looks up at her with a small pout as she walks to his side, still silent as he's been since they landed. Always a calm child, there's a new air of solemnity to him now. As if, even young as he is, Kal-El already knows the truth. Already knows they are the last.

"Which direction should we travel?" Kara continues, staring around them as if the answer will suddenly appear. They have maps of this planet, general information about societies, languages, and centers of population, but those facts don't offer much help now.

"I suppose any direction will be suitable," Kara mutters as she starts walking, heading towards the woods in the distance. The visibility will be less, but that offers more protection than threat at this point.

Kal-El buries his head in her shoulder as they move, taking a few small, shuddery breaths before calming. Their packs weigh heavily on Kara's back, but she knows it won't be long before the yellow sun helps with that.

There hadn't been time for her parents to explain all of the gifts the yellow sun would give her, but the few times she'd come out of stasis for check of her biometrics and mental capacity, her pod's educational program had run through the changes she could expect. Strength should come first, it's only a matter of time.

In the meantime, she needs to get as far from their landing site as possible to avoid drawing attention to the camouflaged ships. They're hidden well, with the best of Krypton's stealth technology, but that doesn't mean they can't be found. And if they stick around it's that much more likely someone will notice.

They walk for hours, until Kal-El finally lets out a small whimper of discomfort and shifts in Kara's arms. He's undoubtedly hungry, and possibly in need of a change.

Looking around, Kara spots a secluded clearing near a rock wall that offers a good defensive position should the need arise. It will work, and it's close enough to nightfall that stopping is probably a good idea anyway.

"I know," Kara comforts the small child in her arms. "I'll have something for us to eat soon, I promise Kal-El."

He's old enough to understand the words, and nods a little before settling down. Kara has watched him often enough that he knows she will always provide for him. There's no reason to doubt her words, and Kara doesn't intend to give him any now.

It's a daunting task if she considers it too carefully, but Kara is a master of pushing distracting thoughts away. So long as she takes things one day at a time, there won't be any problems. She doesn't have to worry about the years ahead of them, all she has to focus on is getting camp set up and getting them both food.

The emergency dwelling takes only seconds to configure, and Kara settles her cousin inside with a freshly cleaned diaper and a small snack to curb the worst of his hunger while she sets up a quick defensive perimeter. They don't have much in the way of weaponry, but she can pull a few logs into place with only a small amount of effort and set their sensors atop the boundary. If anything dangerous approaches they'll have plenty of warning so Kara can react.

It's only once they're both fully fed and settled in for the night that Kara lets her worries truly rise to the surface. Kal-El is sleeping easily in her arms, taking the changes in stride with an unconscious trust in Kara. But the older cousin can't find sleep so easily. Her grief is too strong to face at the moment, but the uncertainty of their future isn't willing to be shoved aside so easily this time. Not in the darkness that reminds her uncomfortable of the cold emptiness of space.

How is she going to do this? She's one small girl on an unfamiliar world. She has no support system, and she's the only thing standing between Kal-El and the worst the galaxy can throw at them. What can she do?

Eventually she drops off to sleep as sheer exhaustion overtakes her, the worries forgotten in favor of her body's needs.

***

The next few days follow the same pattern as the cousins slowly make their way across the country, avoiding the smaller cities in the distance for now. Kara is still working on controlling her new abilities as they appear and her senses are too raw and open to face the press of people around them. As long as their supplies last, they can keep moving, keep adjusting to this new world.

Kal-El slowly loses some of his withdrawn seriousness as the days go on, chattering happily as they see each new sight, each strange animal that Kara wishes she had words to describe. There hadn't been anything like this wilderness left on Krypton, not by the end.

When they reach the ocean, Kara knows they've gone as far as they can without making contact with the human world. She's managed to find a set of human clothing for them both so they can blend into human culture when they finally enter a city, though she still feels guilty at the theft. It had been easy, once she had control of her powers, but that doesn't make it any better.

She's the oldest member of the House of El, she shouldn't be driven to something as low as theft to survive. But she's also responsible for Kal-El's safety, and that means making a few questionable decisions to keep anyone from noticing their alien origins. She'll steal and lie, taking the guilt on her own shoulders, if it keeps him protected.

Steeling her nerves and straightening her shoulders, Kara finally heads into human society for the first time since they'd landed. It's nearly overwhelming in intensity even with the control she's gained over her senses, and she's grateful Kal-El doesn't seem to be developing the same abilities yet.

He's stronger than he'd been on Krypton, and doesn't seem vulnerable to harm (Kara still has nightmares about watching him crawl over a patch of thorns that should have torn his skin to pieces), but that's it for now. Without any kind of lab equipment she can't test her hypothesis, but Kara is certain it has something to do with their ages. As Kal-El grows the rest of his abilities should appear.

It doesn't take long before the sight of two children wandering around without an adult attracts attention, and before Kara can come up with a suitable cover a uniformed adult is steering them towards an official looking building. Kara grips her cousin tighter and follows for now, hoping to avoid drawing further attention.

"What you got now?" another uniformed adult asks casually as they enter.

The lack of formality startles Kara even as she's grateful the learning programs in the crystals their parents had sent contained knowledge of the English language. She'd studied carefully over the past weeks, and though she still has an accent she's fluent in the strange tongue. If she were still learning, she'd have no idea what was going on.

"Lost kids, I think," the first adult says, resting a heavy hand on Kara's shoulder. It's clearly meant to be comforting, but it just makes her feel trapped. "Haven't said a word since I found them. Brought 'em in to check the reports, but who knows."

"Not a word? Maybe they need sent down to the doc for a bit, let him do that head examining stuff he's always pulling on the rest of us."

Kara tenses at the words, ready to bolt and forget the consequences. She won't let anyone experiment on Kal-El.

"Easy girl, don't listen to Jack over there. We're gonna see if we can figure out where you came from first, okay? I bet your parents are worried sick, wherever they are." The hand on her shoulder tightens as the adult looks down at her in concern, and Kara knows he'd felt the increased tension in her frame.

"Our parents are dead," Kara says quietly, hoping that will be enough information to keep him from digging too deeply into their past. If it is, that's worth the pain the words cause.

"Oh, shit," the one called Jack says, leaning back in his chair with a frown. "Not runaways then, huh Rick? You always do bring in the tough ones."

"Shut it," Rick says, looking annoyed for a second before turning his back on Jack to kneel down in front of Kara. "Why don't we get you settled in somewhere, okay? I need to make a call, get someone down here so I can ask you a few questions."

Kara nods, unsure what else she can do without running for the doors. She's figured out by now that these men are something like the law keepers on Krypton, the guards of the important city buildings. Even in a backward society and culture like this one, surely they can offer some kind of help. So long as she keeps the truth a secret, she can wait to see what they do.

"Good kid. Come on, I think we've got some snacks around here somewhere, you two must be hungry by now."

Kara follows without complaint at the thought of food. They've needed more nutrients on Earth than anticipated, and their supplies have already begun to run low. Keeping Kal-El fed had been a drain, and Kara has been stinting herself to make up the lack.

Once they're settled in Kara digs into the promised snacks with gusto, allowing herself a full meal for the first time in close to a week. She can tell her appetite surprises Rick, but she's too hungry to feel self-conscious right now. Not when he just keeps bringing more, enough for both the cousins to feel full.

"Okay, you two sit tight while I make those calls and I'll be right back," he says when they finally finish, shaking his head slightly as he walks out of the small room he'd brought them to.

"How they doing?" another voice chimes in once the door is shut, pitched quietly enough that Kara wouldn't be able to hear without her newly sensitive hearing. "Jack told me the girl said their parents died?"

"Yeah, I want to get someone from child services down here so I can ask some questions, then they'll probably head to a group home for now while we double check the story."

"You don't believe her?"

"I don't know. There's something that doesn't sit right here. The silence, the way they just ate half a vending machine between them, the way the girl won't let the little one out of her arms. If it's trauma that's one thing, but if the parents are still out there and she's hiding from them, I want to make sure they don't have to worry about them showing back up later."

The concern in the voices brings a small smile to Kara's face, one that hasn't been seen much since she'd landed here. It's usually only when Kal-El does something particularly sweet that Kara can forget her worries and grief long enough to smile. She wasn't expecting to find someone among the humans that genuinely cared about them.

"Well, you know best. But I think the group homes are pretty full these days, you sure they'll have room for two?"

"One of them has to, right? I can already tell there's no splitting them without a fight, and none of the open individual homes are set up for a kid that small right now."

"As long as they don't end up in Gracehome, right? That place scares me, and I'm an adult."

"If it's a choice between that and splitting them, what else can I do?"

"Better hope one of the others has room then."

Kara doesn't stay to listen beyond that, gathering their things and Kal-El before rushing from the room in a burst of speed. If she moves fast enough no one sees her, there's no disturbance and they might have enough time to get away.

Kindness of these men aside, if they're even considering sending Kal-El to a place that scares them she isn't waiting around. She'll be grateful for the meal and nothing more. She can provide for them both, she knows she can.

Kal-El is depending on her, there isn't another choice.

***

After too many close calls with men dressed in the same uniform Kara is running from, she realizes they must have warned the rest of their team to be on the lookout for two children alone in the city. It makes Kara feel hunted, and long before the sun begins to fall she starts looking for a safe place to hide. It’s more difficult in the city than it had been in the forests and plains, but she needs to be off the streets.

When they stumble across a large number of houses that seem mostly empty Kara thinks they might have caught a break for once. She doesn’t dare stay in any of the main buildings themselves, not even the ones that seem empty and likely to stay that way. But many have smaller constructions in the area behind the main structure, and those should be safe enough for a night.

Picking the house she deems most likely to remain empty for now Kara carefully searches their surroundings while motioning for Kal-El to remain silent. He’s learned the necessity of quiet over the past weeks, though it still pains Kara to see him look so serious. It’s a sharp contrast from his usual friendly demeanor, and she worries it means she’s failing her promise to raise him correctly.

Even on Krypton the smallest children were omitted from the usual rules regarding social decorum, and a child Kal’s age should be laughing and smiling as he plays with the world. He shouldn’t be sitting, completely quiet and with a worried look that seems out of place on a face so young. He should be laughing at the strange symbols on the wall, holding up the small items he finds to ask Kara for an explanation.

One day, Kara promises him silently, one day she will find a place he can have that unrestrained happiness. One way or another, Kal-El will have a childhood as normal as she can give him. He will learn the history of his people, but he will also learn this planet. She will never let him feel as alien as she has felt these last weeks.

But that’s a problem for another day, and while she has Kal-El in a settled place away from harm Kara decides to look around the property as thoroughly as she can manage. The high walls are comforting in the security they promise.

They aren’t high enough to keep Kara in, not with her new strength and ability to jump many times her own height, but they are strong enough to keep most common dangers out. And more importantly they’ll shield the cousins from prying eyes that might report their presence to the uniformed security men who are still presumably looking for them.

The fenced in area is large, with a small body of water that smells strange to Kara in the middle. She’ll have to keep a close watch on Kal-El to keep him out of it, but it doesn’t seem dangerous. Other than that and the small building off to the side, the remaining space is filled with gravel paths and flower beds that make Kara nostalgic for the greenhouses on Krypton.

She didn’t get to visit them often, with so much of the planetside barren and empty the greenhouses were a luxury. She could only visit at her parent’s side, and only when they had time to take her. Not even her House name could get a single young teenager through the gates into such a reserved and important space.

If only she felt safe staying in one place for longer than a single night this would be the perfect home for them. They don’t need more than a small room right now, and with the added protection of the walls she might even feel comfortable leaving Kal-El alone for short periods of time to find a food source for them beyond the supplies they’d landed with.

The water does give her pause on that, but Kara knows he’ll listen and behave for short periods even if she’s gone. If she tells him to stay inside the small building, silent and hiding in case someone returns, he would listen. And with her new speed she wouldn’t be gone for more than half an hour at most.

But staying in one place is too much of a risk at the moment, especially when she has no idea who lives in the main building. There are no signs that anyone is home now, but that could quickly change. And if trespassing is as serious an offence on Earth as it was on Krypton, being found could be disastrous.

Once she’s made a complete circuit of the property and noted several good places to jump the fence in case of emergency, Kara returns to find Kal-El starting to pout. The earlier food had been wonderful, but it hadn’t kept him full as long as an actual meal. It hadn’t kept Kara very full either, but she’s used to the faint hunger pains by now.

“Hush now, little one, I’ll grab you something,” Kara whispers soothingly as she picks him up for a moment before setting him back down on his blanket, knowing the close contact will soothe him for now. He won’t fully settle until the food is done and he eats, but this way he won’t start crying and draw attention from the neighboring properties.

She keeps talking to him as she prepares their meal, taking solace in the sound of their language filling the air. She’s heard too much of the human’s words lately, all harsh syllables and sharp edges. It sounds as rough and primitive as she finds their society as a whole, and she longs for someone to answer in flowing Kryptonian. Even the few baby words Kal-El is able to speak sound more welcoming than anything else she’s heard on this planet.

“What are you doing in here?” a voice comes from the doorway, and Kara spins around in shock. It’s pure instinct that has her shielding Kal-El from view and any potential harm even before she registers the source of the voice.

They were alone, she’d _checked_. There hadn’t been anyone home, and she should have heard someone approaching long before they had a chance to startle her. Not even someone as small and light as the girl in front of her should have been able to get this close.

“Do you not speak English?” the girl asks when Kara doesn’t immediately answer. “Because I don’t understand a word of what you were saying just now, so if you don’t speak English we’re going to have problems.”

“No, I speak English,” Kara answers, stumbling over her words a little as her mind works to catch up to the situation.

The girl is standing in the only door to this small building, and Kara doesn’t feel comfortable pushing her out of the way. There’s too much of a risk she might be hurt if Kara did. And even though Kara has sunk low enough to resort to theft and trespassing, she will not sink any further and risk harm to an innocent being. They’re trapped, unless Kara decides to break through a wall to make their escape.

“Oh, good. Then you can answer my question. What are you doing in my pool house?” The girl doesn’t seem angry, isn’t threatening to call the authorities, but Kara doesn’t let herself relax. If this is her property, then that could change at any moment.

“I was in need of shelter for the night,” Kara explains. She’s not sure telling the truth is the right choice to make, but lying seems pointless. “It was not my intention to steal anything from your home or cause inconvenience in any way.”

“Why do you talk like that?” the girl asks, wrinkling her nose in an expression Kara doesn’t recognize. “You sound more stilted than my mother’s books.”

Kal-El chooses that moment to speak up, frustrated that his food has been delayed. “ _Shpahgh_ , Kara!”

“Hush, Kal-El,” Kara says quickly, turning to hand him the requested slice of bread before facing the girl once more. She’d hoped to keep Kal-El a secret, but that can’t be helped. She hasn’t taught him to avoid the humans, not wanting to frighten him. He’d had no way of knowing she wanted him to stay quiet.

“Hey, are you two okay? Why do you have a baby in a shed? Did you guys run away from somewhere?”

“Our parents died,” Kara explains quickly. “And when your peacekeepers found us they wanted to place us in a home. I couldn’t let that happen to Kal-El.”

“Well damn. I’ve heard about the foster homes in this city, I can’t blame you for that one. I’d probably run away too. I’m Cat, by the way.” Cat doesn’t seem angry, or interested in turning them in, so Kara lets herself relax the slightest bit. “And you called this little guy Kal-El, but what’s your name?”

“I am Kara Zor-El.” She isn’t sure why she’s trusting this strange human with their family name, but something about her seems familiar. Seems welcoming.

“Nice to meet you, Kara Zor-El. Now why don’t you two come inside, my parents are gone for the week and there’s no way I’m letting you sleep out here in the cold when we have perfectly serviceable guest rooms.”

The offer takes Kara by surprise, but she’s already decided to trust this Cat. And a night in a proper bed will feel wonderful. They can deal with the rest later. Kara has been responsible for their safety for long enough, she can take one night to depend on someone else.


	2. Chapter 2

As she gathers Kal-El and their things to follow Cat, Kara wonders why she trusts this girl so much. There’s been an instinctive wariness to every other interaction with humans that’s missing from this one. Somehow after only a few minutes Kara feels sure they’re safe with Cat.

Stealing a few surreptitious glances at their new host while pretending to settle Kal-El in, Kara is struck again by the nagging sense of familiarity. There’s no way they’ve met before and Cat doesn’t look like anyone Kara remembers from Krypton. On the surface there’s nothing Kara should find familiar. Nothing to justify this instant faith.

Cat is smaller than most Kryptonians, almost frail. The higher gravity of the larger planet means heavier bones and musculature than humans, and Cat seems tiny in comparison. Not even the children years younger than Kara had been so slight.

But there’s a fierceness to the way she holds herself, an air of confidence that transcends the physical. Cat is welcoming two strangers into her home and seems completely unworried by that fact. There’s no hesitation, just a resolve to act. And as Kara registers that, she understands the feeling of trust.

Cat is her age, no more than a year or two older if Kara is any judge, and yet she reminds Kara of her aunt.

It seems ridiculous, but she can’t shake the comparison. Despite the ages and all the physical differences, the confidence is the same. The self-awareness, the lack of fear in the face of the unknown. Everything that always made Kara feel safe with Astra, she sees in Cat.

Kara knows it’s crazy. There’s no reason to compare Cat to Astra on the basis of a five minute introduction. But in a world that still feels so alien, Kara will cling to any comfort she can find. It’s more of a bittersweet memory than anything else, but it’s still _something._

“Thank you for welcoming us into your home,” Kara says once she has Kal-El distracted with another piece of bread. She isn’t sure of Earth customs in a situation like this, but despite the strange look Cat shoots her a sincere gesture of appreciation feels appropriate.

“Well, I wasn’t going to leave a baby in an unheated shed overnight,” Cat says, rolling her eyes. “Just because it’s spring doesn’t mean the nights don’t get cold. Besides, my parents aren’t home to argue, and the place is too quiet. At least if I let you stay you can tell me why you’re here instead of me spending the evening bored out of my mind.”

Kara nods her understanding, guessing at Cat’s meaning when she uses unfamiliar language. Colloquialisms and informal phrasing are still a bit beyond her comfort level with English. “Would your parents not be happy with your invitation?” she asks, picking up on that much from what Cat has said.

The pause before answering doesn’t reassure Kara, but she pushes the concern away in favor of waiting for Cat to speak. Those parents aren’t here now, and Cat is. Cat is the one welcoming them in for the evening and that’s what matters. Not some hypothetical situation. By the time Cat’s parents return the cousins will be long gone.

“I think my dad would understand, but my mother…” The flash of pain and insecurity that crosses Cat’s face is gone quickly but Kara knows the emotions themselves are still there. The urge to reach out and offer comfort is strong, but she holds back. Such familiarity might be entirely unwelcome.

“My dad would probably try to help you,” Cat continues when she’s back in control. “He’d reach out to someone who could do more, but I’m sure he’d let you stay here while he tried to figure it out. My mother would probably kick you out without a second thought.”

There’s a coldness in Cat’s eyes that chills Kara more than any temperature on this planet has manages. She can’t imagine feeling that way about a parent, but then she doesn’t know humans very well. Perhaps this is normal for their families.

“Your hospitality is still welcome, Cat. It will be nice to have the security of your House walls for the night.” Though she isn’t sure of Cat’s standing or the way human Houses compare to Krypton’s, Cat is definitely old enough to speak for her House on at least small things like offering a night of shelter, and Kara decides to treat her as such.

“Do you two have a place to stay after this?” Cat asks, looking surprised by something in Kara’s words. “Because I meant it, I’m not kicking a baby out into the cold, and I don’t want to kick you out either.”

“We- no,” Kara admits, too used to speaking truthfully to lie. “But we don’t feel the cold.” That, along with Kal-El’s resistance to harm, is the only thing Kara is thankful for these days. It’s enough of a burden keeping him fed and safe without worrying about something hurting him.

“ _You_ may not, but that doesn’t mean _he_ won’t,” Cat says, looking angry. “God, Kara, think about it. He’s tiny, how is he supposed to keep warm? Even a good blanket and your body heat won’t be enough if it gets really cold, and what then? The hospitals will send you right to those foster homes you’re avoiding, and this time you won’t have a chance to run away.”

Even knowing it’s unlikely Kal-El could get sick, Kara can’t shake the feeling of dread Cat’s words send through her. She’d been sent to this planet to care for her cousin, she’d promised her family she wouldn’t fail. She can’t fail. Especially not when failure means losing the only family she has left.

Something on Kara’s face must give away her inner turmoil, because Cat’s anger fades immediately. “I’m sorry, Kara. That was uncalled for. I can tell you’re doing everything you can for him, but it really is too cold for a baby to be sleeping outside.”

“He’s all I have left,” Kara says, eyes shut against the pain. “I wouldn’t do anything to risk his safety.”

“Then stay here a while,” Cat urges. “My mother is on one of her book tours and won’t be back for weeks. My dad will probably be back this weekend, but I’m sure we can figure something out. If we put a heater in the pool house you could stay there, or we could figure out a way to hide you in the guest room.”

“You would lie to the elders of your house?” Kara asks, shocked by the very idea.

Cat just shrugs, seeming unbothered. “To my mother, definitely. My dad, I don’t know. I know he would try to help, but his options might be limited and then you’d end up in one of the group homes you’re trying to avoid.”

It doesn’t feel right to Kara, but given the choice between a lie and potentially putting Kal-El into a dangerous situation her decision is easy.

***

By the time the weekend comes, Kara has settled into the house with only lingering hesitations. They’ve had to hide from the housekeeper a few hours each day, but it’s nothing new for the cousins. They’ve been hiding from humans since they landed, particularly ones that seem as unwelcoming as Mrs. Bancroft. Her constant criticisms of Cat are clear from wherever Kara ends up hiding with Kal-El, and Cat is certain the woman is a spy for her mother.

Cat doesn’t speak about her mother much beyond a few muttered complaints, but that’s enough for Kara to paint a clearer picture of the situation. She still doesn’t know whether it’s typical for Earth, but there’s clearly a level of antagonism between mother and daughter that Kara can’t understand. She’d do anything to see her mother again, anything to have someone there to look out for her the way she’s looking out for Kal-El.

She thinks Cat understands, thinks that’s why there haven’t been more comments. Even the ones Cat does let slip are quiet enough that without heightened senses the words would be the faintest murmur. She hasn’t asked what happened to Kara’s parents or how they’d died, and Kara can tell she’s been careful to avoid anything that could bring up painful memories.

The night before Cat’s father is due home, Kara decides to reward Cat’s caring with another level of trust. She’d been holding back the truth about where they’re from and what had happened out of fear Cat would turn them out despite her earlier insistence she would do no such thing. But the omission feels a lot like a lie to Kara, and lying to Cat after all she’s done feels wrong. And after beginning to think that she and Kal-El might actually be able to settle here for a while she doesn’t want to leave.

So slowly at first, stumbling over unfamiliar words and overfamiliar emotions, Kara opens up. She tells Cat about her home, about the light of Rao in the sky and the gleaming spires that rose to meet it. About her family, her culture, all she remembers. It’s the first time she’s spoken most of the words to anyone, even Kal-El. She’s been telling him about their home, but never in this depth.

“He really is all you have left, isn’t he?” is the first thing Cat says when Kara stops talking, after she’s taken a moment to let everything sink in.

“The last of my family, and the last of my planet,” Kara agrees, holding him a little tighter at the thought. He’s asleep, curled up in Kara’s arms without a care in the world.

Seeing him like this, so calm and readily trusting his cousin to keep him safe, it almost feels okay. She still misses her parents, still misses her entire family, but knowing she’s there for Kal-El gives Kara a purpose that can keep her going. It doesn’t make up for the loss in their past, but it does present the possibility of a future.

“I meant what I said,” Cat says abruptly into the silence that’s fallen between them. “You don’t have to worry about having a place to stay. I’ll get my dad to redo the pool house, no one else ever uses it and if I say I want a place to study that’s away from my mother he’ll understand.”

“Your mother,” Kara starts, trailing off for a moment before gathering her courage. “Do all Earth Houses have the same relationship between mothers and daughters?” She’s been wondering since the first time Cat mentioned her mother, and tonight she’s finally brave enough to ask.

From the small bark of laughter that Cat lets out at the question, Kara decides that maybe the situation isn’t as straightforward as she’d thought. So much of human society is still utterly foreign, and every time Kara thinks she has one thing figured out something else will set her understanding on its head. At least with Cat’s help over the past week she’s been getting better. Her speech has started to lose the strict formality of Kryptonian address, though she still sounds stilted and ‘uptight’ according to Cat.

“I don’t think anyone has a relationship quite like Mother and I,” Cat says, a trace of bitterness the only sign of emotion in her voice. “Then again who knows. She can’t be the only absolute harridan out there. Still, we both get along better when we aren’t around each other, and we both know it. I don’t think she’s even bothered trying to show me off at parties in a year or more after I ‘ruined’ the last one.”

Kara considers that carefully for a moment before filing the new knowledge away. Not common, then, but perhaps not unheard of. She’ll figure this planet out sooner or later.

“So, wanting a place of study away from her side will not arouse any suspicions?”

“The only thing that might make him suspicious is that I’m not asking for a room a block away.” The bitterness is gone, replaced by a melancholy Kara doesn’t understand. But that too is quickly shaken off as Cat stands, reaching out a hand to help Kara up. “Come on, let’s go look and see what we need to get you guys set up out there.”

Kara follows readily, trusting that Cat will know what is needed far better than she would. After all, this is her House and their grounds, Kara is merely a visitor. Without some alliance between their houses, that’s all she can be. And while Kara might technically be the ranking member of the House of El, capable of making decisions on behalf of her House, Cat is not. She can offer hospitality, but not a binding contract.

Kara knows that’s likely not how things work on this planet, but she doesn’t have any other examples to reference. And whether Earth is different or not, she is still Kryptonian, still the last of her kind and culture. Remembering that fact is all that keeps her planet alive in the galaxy. And that means remembering she is a guest here.

“We have some supplies,” Kara points out as Cat stares around the small space with a thoughtful look. “We do not need much to make this into a comfortable dwelling.”

“But then how do I explain spending time out here?” Cat points out, pacing out a few measurements. “When my parents are gone, which is most of the time, you’re more than welcome to stay inside the house. But sometimes my mother decides she needs a break from travelling and stays for a month, and even to get away from her I wouldn’t spend hours in a dusty storage space.”

“It doesn’t seem dusty to me,” Kara points out, looking around at the carefully stacked boxes around the perimeter of the small building. There’s a definite air of disuse to the space, but despite that it appears mostly clean and tidy. It’s not as immaculate as the main house, but it’s still obvious that regular cleaning is on _someone’s_ list.

“Still wouldn’t buy it,” Cat points out, and Kara just nods silently. She’d already decided Cat knows best, she might as well just go with that. “Besides, the groundskeeper is in here once a month to keep an eye on things. If I ask for it to be my space in return for keeping it clean myself that will keep everyone out. The actual pool supplies are in the outside closet, and I’ll put a lock on the door. That gives you privacy.”

A little overwhelmed by what Cat is offering, Kara holds Kal-El a little closer and stands out of the way. Security is the one thing she’s been searching for since landing on this planet, and Cat is giving it to her without question not even a week after they’d met.

“Why are you doing this for us?” Kara asks, unable to hold the question back. It’s too direct, would be unforgivably rude on Krypton, but she needs to know.

Cat doesn’t seem offended by the bluntness, just stops her pacing and consideration of the room to think about the question. “A little because it’s the right thing to do,” she says eventually, looking Kara in the eye with a curious tilt to her head. “But I don’t know, there’s more to it than that. An escape, maybe? Like I said, the house is always too quiet when I’m alone. It’ll be nice having someone around.”

Kara remembers the brief flashes of darkness surrounding her ship from the long travel to this planet, and she understands. Loneliness is devastating, and sometimes having someone there to share the burden is all you need to keep going. And if Cat is willing to give security to the cousins, then Kara will make sure she never has to feel alone again.

There is no formal acknowledgement of the alliance, no ritualized ceremony marking the occasion. But in that moment Kara vows to herself that the House of El will always be there for Cat and her family.

Stronger Together.


End file.
